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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5283 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5283

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Robert M. Gates, in recognition 
 of his service to the United States as an intelligence professional, 
 Secretary of Defense, and educator and leader for young people of the 
                             United States.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 25, 2024

Mr. Moran (for himself, Mr. Carper, Mr. Thune, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Wicker, 
Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Romney, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Young, 
  Mr. King, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Britt, Mrs. 
Hyde-Smith, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Capito, Ms. Ernst, 
 and Mrs. Murray) introduced the following bill; which was read twice 
  and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Robert M. Gates, in recognition 
 of his service to the United States as an intelligence professional, 
 Secretary of Defense, and educator and leader for young people of the 
                             United States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Robert M. Gates Congressional Gold 
Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Robert ``Bob'' M. Gates was born on September 25, 1943, 
        in Wichita, Kansas. He stated in 2007, ``Kansas imparts to its 
        children three characteristics that have been a source of 
        strength to me over the years: a rejection of cynicism, and 
        enduring optimism and idealism.''.
            (2) Bob Gates joined the Boy Scouts of America and attained 
        the rank of Eagle Scout.
            (3) Graduating from Wichita East High School, Bob Gates 
        matriculated at the College of William & Mary before completing 
        graduate studies at Indiana University and a doctorate at 
        Georgetown University.
            (4) Bob Gates was recruited to the Central Intelligence 
        Agency in 1966, beginning a life of continuous public service 
        for the next 27 years. In this span, Bob Gates worked for 6 
        Presidents of both parties and 8 Directors of Central 
        Intelligence.
            (5) In January 1967, Bob Gates took leave from the Central 
        Intelligence Agency and was commissioned as a second lieutenant 
        in the United States Air Force, serving for 1 year as an 
        intelligence officer at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
            (6) Returning to the Central Intelligence Agency in January 
        1968, Bob Gates began his career as an analyst specializing in 
        the Soviet Union in August of that year. Thus began his rise to 
        become the Deputy Director for Intelligence, Deputy Director of 
        Central Intelligence, including 6 months as Acting Director, 
        and finally the first analyst to serve as Director of Central 
        Intelligence.
            (7) Bob Gates served on the National Security Council under 
        4 presidents beginning with President Richard Nixon. He 
        likewise served on the Council under Presidents Gerald Ford, 
        Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush.
            (8) As Deputy National Security Advisor to National 
        Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft under President George H.W. 
        Bush, Bob Gates was integral to restoring a national security 
        process damaged in the wake of the Iran-Contra scandal.
            (9) Bob Gates was appointed by Scowcroft as ``Assistant to 
        the President'' and chaired the Deputies Committee of the 
        National Security Council, which became, in the words of 
        political scientist Bartholomew Sparrow, ``the Bush 
        administration's workhorse for making national security 
        policy''.
            (10) In this capacity, Bob Gates played an essential role 
        in crafting policies that peacefully ended the Cold War with 
        the Soviet Union, supported democratic transitions in Eastern 
        Europe, unified Germany under the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization, ejected Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces from 
        occupying Kuwait, and engaged a rising China.
            (11) Bob Gates served as the 22nd Secretary of Defense of 
        the United States, leading the military of the United States 
        for 4 \1/2\ years and was the first to serve in this position 
        under Presidents of both political parties.
            (12) Bob Gates led transitions to strategies in Iraq and 
        Afghanistan to combat insurgencies in each country.
            (13) Prioritizing the well-being of the service members of 
        the United States, Bob Gates fast-tracked the acquisition of 
        armored vehicles to ensure more men and women in uniform 
        returned home alive, and, in the words of then-Chairman of the 
        Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, ``[H]e demanded when 
        they did come home, they were given all the respect and the 
        dignity and the care and the support they needed to get on with 
        their lives.''.
            (14) Bob Gates, again in the words of Admiral Mullen, 
        spurred the Pentagon ``to find new efficiencies and new 
        business practices'' making the Department of Defense ``a 
        better steward of taxpayer dollars''.
            (15) Outside of government service, Bob Gates has been 
        committed to the youth and young adults in the United States.
            (16) Bob Gates served as president of the National Eagle 
        Scout Association and, from 2014 to 2016, as President of the 
        Boys Scouts of America. Under his leadership, the Boy Scouts of 
        America strengthened its volunteer leadership, prioritized 
        diversity and outreach to disadvantaged youth, and arrested 
        membership decline.
            (17) Bob Gates filled roles in institutions of higher 
        learning in the United States, most notably as President of 
        Texas A&M University until his appointment as Secretary 
        Defense, and as Chancellor of the College of William & Mary.
            (18) Bob Gates is the author of 4 books, including 2 
        memoirs of his time in public service, a study on leadership, 
        and a defense for enhancing the nonmilitary tools of the United 
        States to conduct foreign policy.
            (19) Multiple Presidents of the United States have 
        specially honored Bob Gates for his distinguished career of 
        public service.
            (20) President George H.W. Bush awarded Bob Gates the 
        second highest civilian award in the United States, the 
        Presidential Citizens Medal, in 1992, declaring, ``Robert Gates 
        has dedicated himself to the national security and national 
        interest. As Deputy National Security Advisor, he chaired a 
        small group of senior officials around the clock to resolve the 
        Gulf crisis, and ably managed the interagency coordination 
        central to the vindication of fundamental principles of peace. 
        His great skill was indispensable to our historic 
        accomplishments in the Gulf.''.
            (21) President Barack Obama presented Bob Gates with the 
        Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in 
        the United States, in 2011. The citation declares Bob Gates 
        ``has selflessly dedicated his life to ensuring the security of 
        the American people. He has served eight Presidents of both 
        parties with unwavering patriotism. . . . The United States 
        honors Robert M. Gates for his extraordinary leadership and for 
        a lifetime of service and devotion to our nation.''.
            (22) Bob Gates has received numerous other honors from the 
        Federal Government, including the National Security Medal, the 
        National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, 
        Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the United States Army 
        Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, the United States 
        Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, and the United States 
        Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service.
            (23) Among other honors, 12 different universities have 
        bestowed Bob Gates with an honorary doctorate and the Boy 
        Scouts of America granted him the Distinguished Service Award, 
        the Silver Buffalo Award, and the Vigil Honor. In 2011, after 
        his departure from the Pentagon and public service, Foreign 
        Policy magazine named Bob Gates ``America's last bipartisan 
        figure''.
            (24) In a tribute to Bob Gates, President Barack Obama 
        said, ``I believe the life of Bob Gates is a lesson, especially 
        to young Americans, a lesson that public service is an 
        honorable calling; that we can pass our country, better and 
        stronger, to those who follow. . . . In his willingness to 
        become the first Secretary of Defense to serve under Presidents 
        of both parties, the integrity of Bob Gates is also a reminder, 
        especially to folks here in Washington, that civility and 
        respectful discourse, and citizenship over partisanship are not 
        quaint relics of a bygone era; they are the timeless virtues 
        that we need now more than ever. For whatever differences of 
        party or ideology we may have, we can only keep America strong 
        if we remember what keeps America great--our ability to come 
        together to work together, as Americans, for a common 
        purpose.''.
            (25) By virtue of his career in public and private life, 
        Bob Gates has exemplified commitment to the security and well-
        being of the United States, and has earned the respect of 
        people of the United States throughout the country.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make 
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, 
of a gold medal of appropriate design to Robert M. Gates, in 
recognition for his service to the United States as an intelligence 
professional, Secretary of Defense, and educator and leader for young 
people of the United States.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation 
described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to 
in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with 
suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions to be determined by the 
Secretary.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck under section 3 at a price sufficient to cover the costs 
of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--Medals struck under this Act are national 
medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 and section 
5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act 
shall be considered to be numismatic items.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be 
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such 
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck 
under this Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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